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So I was blogging about my arrival to Hong Kong…guess what we did when we checked into our hostel???!!

Yes, we took our sweet nap Couldn’t help it actually, as we were quite tired with the entire travelling . Our taxi ride was 4am to airport, being only asleep about 11pm the night before lolol. Our nap was disrupted by our growling tummies (1 hour nap so not much time wasted lah) hehe. As we left our SIM in the room and I was super hungry so I authoritatively picked any decent looking cafe around our hostel. 15steps away and we landed into a cafe; the food was rather disappointing. I couldn’t believe it as I have always believed that any cafe in HK would have decent food, not this time apparently hmm…Thank God the cafe had wifi so hubz googled for nearby cafes (which he had it bookmarked into the ‘OpenRice’ app (only operable with dataplan), and we decided to head to Australia Dairy Co right after our meal hahaha.

HKD 61 for milk pudding, scramble egg with toast and a milk tea. Very delicious I would say, I wonder what type of milk used We were blessed as there were plenty of seats when we reached.

For those who can read Chinese, here is a good reference for you

GUESS WHAT we did after Australia Dairy Co? Yes, we ate AGAIN immediately after haha! Didn’t know that Mak Noodles was just a few shops away, and since we were already there in the midst of the hot weather, air con is most welcomed!!!

My maiden trip to HK was with both my parents. 2 years after my first visit, both my mom & I revisited HK again

This time is with hubby, our 1st trip together. It was a last minute trip; we applied for our leaves early June and 3 weeks later- we were all set to HK hahahah! HK was selected because there is really no need for much homework , plus I have relatives there, so it made our last minute trip much easier lol!

We touched down just before noon and slowly made our way to the exit. It felt really good as we need not rush like our past business trips, catching for time etc. We could just take photos leisurely, took our sweet time to get the tourist brochures, chatted with a lovely lady on duty (Ashley!) who gave us suggestions on places to EAT hahaha!

Did I mention our trip was a budget trip? We really need to count our pennies as HK is known to be one of the expensive countries to live in! From the airport, we took the A22 bus that stops in front of our hostel (3rd stop from airport) and only cost HKD 39 (no need of what airport express and long travel time bla bla bla). We got this recommendation from AirBnB (check it out!) and the hoStel location is awesome! Why pay for so much when you only need 10hours a day, 8 hours to sleep and 2 hours max to really enjoy the room

So yeah, Simply HoStel was where we stayed during our short trip in HK. Cost? SGD 71.25/night (inclusive of cleaning fee) for both of us!

There is no free lunch in this world, so what you pay is what you get!

This is what you see when you open the ‘Main Door’

The check-in counter ;P

The size of our room. The wall is at the most right of this photo!

Size of our toillet!!

Oh yes, I did get a shock but it was really fun living a local for a few days hehe!

Did I mention how convenient this hostel is?? From Jordan MTR Station, take exit B1, once you are at the ‘exit’ of B1, walk 3 steps in front and you will find yourself in New Lucky House. Take the lift to level 11 and voila – Simply Hostel !!! ;D

Didn’t realize it is almost Q2 of the year and I have not penned a single word here <fail!>

Life had been a roller coaster for me. Welcome to the real world zeapleonia! Didn’t know it would finally happen to myself, but then, life goes on. I choose not to be Queen of Complaints thus, no venting out here! But nevertheless, there is indeed a silver lining at every cloud. God’s is good all the time.

Anyway, life is quite boring for my end. No new projects, no new updates. Still the old same me, perhaps more boring because I ‘do not have much life’ hahaha

I have a love hate relationship with shades. My nose bridge is too flat to carry most of them, so I have always admired people who can carry them and at the same time look so elegant in them *envies* .

Well, of course I didn’t know the importance of shades until I went to the States. The weather can be so cooling ~ 20deg C and yet the sun is scorching hot and really did hurt my eyes. Our retina can be damaged by those blazing sun rays, if you had not known that hmmm…

Next will be mother of all excuses – FASHION. Shades, is one of the most popular fashion accessories. And almost everyone will have a pair of shades. I used to work in ‘SHADES’ (no pun intended) in an outlet in Jusco Ipoh (main) called Shades and they sell only sunglasses of all brands. And yes, business was good!

My all time favourite – Ray Ban! Classy and elegant!!! Actually you can divide them into top 3 choices of Ray Bans;

1. Classic – versatile to match with a casual outfit while showing off that sophisticated personality with confidence.

2. Mirrored effect – gives that sleek yet edgy look while revealing a sense of mystery. Fully covers eyes from being seen to others, this design definitely boosts up confidence and gives a stylish appearance.

3. Brown tinted – gives a lighter touch for a women’s facial feature and suitable to be worn with any outfit.

If you are interested in getting these fabulous must have sunglasses, have a look at ZALORA as it offers a wide range of Ray Ban online designs at affordable prices! I am surprised that they do carry a wide range of this brand. How convenient for us consumers, lol I can shop without moving my butt

Remember I mentioned that my hubz is a victim of a robbery assault? We are all thankful that he had no internal injuries, but externally he is like a cute panda, his “eye bags” are worse then us ladies…

This is 13 days after the incident. The “eye bags”. Can you imagine day #1′s?

Community message : Please be extra careful especially when walking alone. Those culprits are heartless and they operate in groups!!

“ Malaysia is safe no more. So sad. I dread the day where at least one in the household is a victim to robbery assault; my husband is now one. We.need.a.miracle.”

It happened in front of our condo, Villa Angsana, located at Jalan Ipoh. It was at 630am when the incident happened. I am not putting the attention towards my husband but rather the insecurity that we cannot even walk along the streets of our condo, ridiculous. Thank God no brain clots nor skull fractures, it was considered minor amongst many other cases that happened. The question is WHY. Is Malaysia such an easy country to commit crimes? I cannot even afford a Channel, why my household? You robbers are contented with just a laptop and mere RM 200?

Miracle upon our land, oh Lord. Open up the minds of our leaders to combat crimes/corruption. Our ministers obviously are living in their body-guarded homes; how well do they know the criminals on the streets or the cries of the victims’ family.. Lord, I pray for a land of peace and serenity, where each of us regardless of colour can have a satisfying meal even in the most ulu part of Malaysia.

I had this opportunity to reenter New York for the 4th time, and I wasn’t sure if I could go visiting as the weather was not that friendly. No more snowing but the temperature was still 0degC most of the time! And it affects the activities available throughout the country, so I googled hard so that I left no weekends wasted.

Guess what I found? Maple factories were opening for public visit! I drove about 1 hour to the nearest factory and poked my nose into the process. I am never a fan of maple syrup but my hubz is. It was such a coincidence that when I told him I was preparing to drive up to visit, he told me – ” I was just watching it on documentary last night and now you are going to a maple factory! ”

My first view took my breath away. Look at the clear skies and the smoky tiny hut just like the pictures in kids story books .. wow …

And I walked through the process of maple processing in the cold … *brr

Sugar Mill Farm is the name of this maple factory

I wonder with such tiny tubes, how long it would take to accumulate the syrup…

I observed -1 drop every 5~6 seconds =.=”

Reverse osmosis process to first remove water

And next the syrup was processed with this evaporator and the output was wow, concentrated syrup! This farm uses the conventional way (wood) to boil the syrup!

Here you go, the output of the evaporator. The white pail is food filter agent.

The final filtering process – many filtering layers hor !!?

Ta Dah! The output directly from the filter above. Tastes so sweet and smooth…yumz!! Interesting ya?

Bottling up maple syrups for sale.

Items for sale. I forgot how much it costs for a bottle but I think it is less than $20 .

Indeed such an eye opening , mouth watering opportunity. How I not love the States, I always learn a lot everytime I am there Thank you Abba Father for the great opportunity!

Everytime when I thought I finally have something to blog about…things doesn’t seem to work well when I am in front of my computer! LOLX

Work was hectic the previous year. This year, things seem to slow down a bit, giving me some more time to be with hubby. I have cultivated the habit to cook before he leaves for work and my, the hardest part is to wake up early in the morning! Well, I guess it is worth it as I do like cooking. Plus eating outside is more expensive and not-that-healthy with all those ‘extra unhealthy’ ingredients. Experimenting different types of dishes is a challenge itself, what more to make sure they taste good! I have great support from both my mothers so yip!- I am on the way to be a good cook *self praise is no praise lalalalala

Ops did I just made your head turn?

The red thingy is red wine mee sua, a special delicacy of the FuChows. Hubby’s favourite, so, it explains why I learnt the dish. Still experimenting … thus no invites are sent (yet) to friends to enjoy this delicacy! Be patient guys!

As I conclude this blog post, somewhat I felt that I am bragging about my dishes hahahaha! Well, these are just some normal house meals , and will never be found in restaurants I guess! But nevertheless, I take pride of my sacrifices towards good health!

2013 had been very good to me although I lost a couple of good friends to other countries; just because our country is incapable to keep those talents *phhht* . 2013 was a hectic year but in the midst of everything, I got married to the love of my life. The man who deserves my everything. The man who is now my best friend is kind in nature, nourishes, funny, wise and loves me.

The journey towards our wedding wasn’t easy. Generally brides will shoulder most of the preparations but for my case, Dino did 80% of them (including our honeymoon). 20% which was my part – and I settled them online – thank God for internet!! I learnt that the key is do the research earlier to avoid last minute panics, and it saves some cost because much comparison had been made between various websites for the best offer

Certainly, I gathered my maid of honour and my bridesmaids who graciously made time for my wedding. Without them, I would go crazy. Serious. And they were the ones who meant most to me so definitely they, together with many others had helped carved a sweet memory in 2013

On the day I got married, I had the least sleep ever. Most popular advice to sleep more for any bride-to-be can hardly be adhered in my case. It wasn’t like I was anxious but the preparations tired me very quickly – it was hard for me to greet dreamland being exhausted (something that I have had since young)…and I had to wake up as early as 4am for all necessary preparations; the groom would have to arrive latest 830am so that we all could make our way to Sitiawan Wesley Methodist Church on time!

Wedding dinner reception in Sitiawan was held in BeiKing Restaurant. The food was awesome – fresh and delicious, truly the Fuchow way. And Dino was very detailed to add in durian pancake and baby octopus into the 1st appetizer dish; just because I love it.

Syuen Hotel Dinner reception. It was supposed to be held in Mun Cheong Pasir Puteh, but please save from deviating to another topic The Syuen team did great! We had good feedbacks that the food was good and ground staff was efficient !

And so with TWO consecutive hectic days, I am now Mrs Dino. A lot to learn, a lot to give, a lot to sacrifice. A toast to many more years to come!

In January, I was asking God what was installed for me. As you know, my job, location(s) wise isn’t very stable and God actually brought me to as far as the deserts of Australia hahaha! He was very merciful with my assignments and I am giving thanks and always singing praises to my Papa.

I have learnt a lot during this period, growing up not only technically, but spiritually and emotionally. I found a good church to feed my spiritual hunger, a good cg group to fellowship on Sundays and a good place to learn and grow technically. Not to mention, Dino was and is always there extending his support and love no matter where I was/am.

I bid goodbye to Dino hours ago and am now back at my work location. How time flies. I took my compensatory leave period and went home to attend to my wedding preparations. In the eyes of the site, I was on vacation, but in my eyes, I am also working hard during this period. I am always marveling in awe, how my Papa arranges things to happen in our lifes, and how our mustard seed of faith can really move mountains.

Dino will be taking over the wedding preparations, so you can ask him how things are going hehe. And..yes I am very proud of him. He actually said, just come back and attend your wedding, instead of me saying that to him. Usually the bride manages a huge chunk of the preparations, so I’m a very blessed bride to be, of course our respective parents contributed a lot too as both of us are equally busy with our work.

During this period, I am also much thankful to my friends who stood in for support. Knowing that I am always away and weren’t always physically for them all the time, they have shown their love in many ways. I am a blessed child ya.

I’ve been slacking. And I have been blaming the root cause to others, only to be hit hard that it was really just me in the end. I guess it is better late than never, to ever realize that when I had conveniently linked to many other factors, that the fingers are actually pointing back to me.

Ignorance is bliss. Maybe. Sometimes. Or not that quite ?? It is hard catching up with time when I had conveniently allowed many things set as history.

I’ve always thought that I am a quick learner. I’m wrong. Not anymore I guess. I did, but I almost drowned in this competitive dirty world. Such a shame to only admit that I’ve been lacking much but I really couldn’t quite care. In all things, I still believe there is hope and faith that couldn’t be replaced with $$ nor power.

The simplest example ever, I dress like shit. I used to stay well groomed but not anymore. Okay maybe not that shitty… just rather, erm, how do I phrase it… casual? simple? no fashion sense?

I am pretty sure that being alone in Singapore really does not need such high investment in fashion. I ditched Dino’s idea of getting me a mirror. I’m pretty sure I’ll NEVER ask the mirror who is the fairest so let’s save some space and $$ thank you. God bless his kind intention though ;D

Out of desperation (I needed air con, air con!!) , I had a walk alone in the mall today and I realized that I was really really under dressed. I wondered what had happened to me. Because not only did I really cared, I felt proud of being myself without the slightest feeling of being inferior. After analyzing myself at the mirror, I admit I do lack some fashion taste, a good hairstyle, some lip gloss … compared to other shoppers.

Don’t worry, I’m not in the midst of some life crisis (I am having some issues myself but not to this extreme). I just feel contented being myself. Too contented in fact. People say that putting on make up is a respect for others, but really, I couldn’t be bothered if those make-up ingredients are cancer causing. Also, I’m not risking my life if I have to be dependent on those products for the rest of my life after my first, or second trial. On the other hand, I know I’ll stay groomed as needed or, if Dino is around, and I’m not out to catch some ‘big fish’ so that is pretty much the end of the story LOL!!

Sadly, my cracking lips are betraying me. My skin is dry and I couldn’t hide it any longer. I had no choice but to implement some drastic measures…lip gloss, hydrating masks, facials…phew. I guess I am just fighting the fire… TT___TT

What makes thing worse, is I know pretty well that most of the ingredients used are cancer causing although it helps short term. What a dilemma huh? I’m not liking this. I have this I complain. I have that, I complain. FIRST WORLD problem huh?

I have just summarized what I am going through with the lame examples above. Thank you for hearing my rants. I’m just not really understanding the world, why $$ and power could mean so much and be such a powerful weapon (prolly I’ll never understand it until I have $$ and power?). I’m not giving up my hopes of having a just, righteous world. I surrender my hopes to my Abba Father.

In the end, it is just me for being naive, ignorant and stopped catching up with the world’s pace. I’ll just continue to live my life with hopes, continue with my love for durians, continue being me and striving to be better!